Telephone



(No Model.)

J. H. HOWARD. TELEPHONE. No. 459,214. Patented Sept; 8, 1-891.

FIG. 5. F/G. 5

'WITNBEEEE: INVEN'TUR! ma sums PCYERE c0, mow-own vusmuamu, c. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES H. HOlVARD, OF MEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS.

T E L E P H O N E SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.459,214, dated September 8, 189].

Application filed March 3, 1891. Serial No. 383,630. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES H. HOWARD, of Medford, in the county ofMiddlesex and State of Massachusetts, have in vented certain new anduseful Improvements in Telephones, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention has for its object to provide an improved constructionand arrangement of the Bell telephone, which shall enable the hanging upof the receiver to cut the telephone out of the circuit, and which willalso allow the current on the primary circuit to pass around the Siemensarmature when the armature is not in use, thus avoiding the resistanceof the armature-coils.

The invention consists, chiefly, in the im proved hook or crotch onwhich the receiver is hung when not in use, whereby the current on theprimary circuit is diverted from the telephone or is allowed to flowtherethrough when the receiver is disengaged from its hook.

The invention also consists in the improved device for actuating theSiemens armature and the improved attachments thereto, whereby thecurrent is carried around said armature Without encountering theresistance of the armature-coils, all of which Iwill now proceed todescribe and claim.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification,Figure 1 represents a perspective view of a telephone-box provided withmy improvements, neither the receiver nor transmitter being shown. Fig.2 represents a view of one side, and Fig. 3 of the opposite side, of thesame. Fig. 4 represents a diagram showing the relations of the variousparts provided with my improvements. Fig. 5 represents a section on line5 5 of Fig. 4.

The sameletters and numerals of reference indicate the same parts in allthe figures.

Referring for the present to Fig. & of the drawings, a and I) representthe two main-line wires, ending in the terminals 1 and 2, respectively.

a and I) represent the two usual connecting-wires, having the usualswitch 0, which in Fig. 4c is shown open.

5 represents the usual lightning-arrester, having the usual ground-wire5.

d represents the telephone-receiver, which is the usual Bell-telephoneform, its body or outer surface being of a non-conducting material.\Vhen the receiver is off its hook and the telephone is in use, it willbe seen that the current follows the main line b, the wire f connectedtherewith, through the bell-magnet e to wire f, through theinduction-coilg, c011- uecting-wires f and f receiver (Z, wire 1, wiref,and so on to the main line a, with which the wire f connects at 1. henthe receiver is in this position, the secondary or induced current maybe traced from the microphone or transmitter h through wire h to w thetelephone is in actual use for speaking or W hearing the armature is cutout of the circuit and the current does not have to encounter theresistance of the coils of said armature. lVhen the receiver is hungupon its hook or crotch, the arm i of said hook is moved away from theother arm 2", thus breaking the contact between said arms and openingthe secondary circuit. At the same time the projection 2 attached to thearm i, makes contact between the two terminals andj', to which the wiresm and m are respectively connected. The wire in is connected with aterminal a, to which the wires f and f are also connected. The wire m isconnected to the Siemens armature G at n.

The Siemens armature G is provided with a crank-shafto, upon which ismounted a toothed segment 10, meshing with a gearlfl, affixed to thearmature-shaft 13. On the outer end of the crank-shaft 0 is a crank orlever 7, by which the same is adapted to be rotated. To the other end ofthe crank-shaft o is attached a reacting coil-spring, which is soarranged as that when the lever or craukl' is moved by the operator inthe direction shown by the arrow in Fig. 5 the said spring will act toautomatically reverse said movement, and will rotate the crank-shaft oin the opposite direction when thelever 1 is released, I00

thus bringing said lever back to its normal position. (Shown in thedrawings.) It will be seen that the toothed segment 10, meshing with thegear 12, will rotate the armatureshaft in one direction when the crankor lever 7 is being moved in the direction of the arrow in the drawingsand will rotate said armature-shaft in the opposite direction during thebackward movement, above described, caused by the coil-spring.

9 represents a disk mounted on the crankshaft 0. Said disk is of metal,and is in metallic contact with its shaft, but has its periphery coveredwith a non-conducting material,with the exception of one comparativelysmall portion 23, where the metal is not covered. WVhen the crank=shaft0 is in its normal position, the exposed surface 1) of the pee ripheryof the disk 9 will be in such position that the end of a springcontact-plate 8 will o magnet e.

press thereon, said contact-plate 8 being therefore in metallic contactwith the frame-work of the armature. The contact-piece 8, is suitablymounted on a fixed support and is shown in the drawings as mounted on aninsulatingplate on the armature, said piece 8 being insulated from thearmature by said piece of insulating material. The piece Sis connectedby a wire q, awire q connecting with the bell- When the lever or crank 7is moved downwardly, the disk 9 is rotated and theend of the plateSpasses onto the insulating material on the periphery of said disk,contact between said plate 8 and the armature being thus broken.

I From the foregoing it will be seen that thenxihe receiver 01 is on itshook the current comes over the main line b, wire f, through thebell-magnet e, wires q and q to contact- 0 piece 8, and disk 9, throughthe frame of the armature to wire m, through terminal j, contact-maker iand terminal j to wire m, and thence through wire f onto the main linea. It will thus be seen that the current avoids 5 the resistance of boththe armature and the the crank or lever 7, as already described,

said movement cutting the wire q and contactpiece 8 out of the circuit,the current then passing through the wire q and contact-sprin g (1through the coils of the armature, and so onto the wire m in the usualway, the said apparatus and its operation being well understood andneeding no further description here.

I prefer to arrange the devices above described as shown in Figs. 1, 2,and 3; but I do not limit myself to this arrangement. In said figures Ishow the bells 3 3 and the terminals 1 and 2 arranged on the top of thebox, the switch a and lightning-arrester 5 andthe hook or crotch 6 onone side thereof, and

the crank or lever 7 on the other side. The transmitter h may bearranged in any suitable relation to the said box.

I claim 1. The combination, with an electric circuit and a Siemensarmature included therein, of a crank-shaft adapted to be partiallyrotated in one direction and then in the other direction to operate thearmature-shaft, a spring contact-piece, a disk on the said crankshaftand in electrical connection with the armature-shaft, the said diskhaving one small portion of its periphery uncovered and the remainder ofsaid periphery covered with a suitable insulating material, the springcontact-piece pressing upon the periphery of said disk, whereby'it willbe in electrical connection with the armature-shaftwhen the saidcrank-shaft is at rest in its normal position, and when said crank-shaftis. being tact-piece and its connection will be cutout from saidcircuit, as set forth.

2. The improved attachment to a Siemens armature, consisting of acrank-shaftmounted in suitable relation to the shaft of the armature, asegmental gear mounted on the said crank-shaft meshing with a gear onthearmature-shaft, a crank or lever adapted to rotate said crank-shaft, anda. reacting coil spring on said crank-shaft, whereby the same is rotatedin the contrary direction when the said crank or lever is released, adisk on the crankshaft having the greater portion of its peripheryinsulated, a contact-spring bearing on said periphery, and connectionsbetween the said spring and the bell-magnet, as set forth.

3. The hook or crotch for a telephone-receiver, having the fixed arm 4the movable arm 1', the former being connected with one wire and thelatter with the other wire of the secondary or transmitter circuit, thespring adapted to bring the two arms '5 2" into contact with each otherwhen the receiver is withdrawn from the hook, thus closing the secondarycircuit, the extension or cross-piece 2' on the arm 7,, thecontact-pieces j j, between which the piece c' is adapted to makeelectrical connection when the receiver is hung upon the crotch or hookand thus close the primary circuit on the wires m and m, cutting out thereceiver from said circuit, said contact-piece 0'? being moved with thearm 2' 0n the withdrawal of the receiver from two subscribing witnesses,this 14th day of its crotch to break the circuit over the wiresFebruary, A. D. 1891.

m and m thus causin the primary current to pass over the Wires and f andinclud- JAMES HO WARD 5 ing the receiver in said circuit, as set forth.Witnesses:

In testimony whereof I have signed my EWING XV. I-IAMLEN,

name to this speeificatiomin the presence of C. F. BROWN.

